Isuzu Off Roading/Trail Reports

spirolli · June 2001

I actually couldn't wait for a rainy weekend down at the beach in Margate, NJ so I can test my 2000 Trooper out at the Pine Barrons (Wharton State Park in Hammonton, NJ). I finally got my wish last Saturday. Since the weather was bad, I didn't have to worry about taking my wife to beach. My brother in law and I headed to the infamous Pine Barrons, about 40 mile north of Atlantic City, to do some 4x4'ing.

I had no idea how vast and flat the Pine Barrons are. Nothing like the mountains and trails in Potter County, Pa. Very different terrain. Soft dirt trails everywhere that branch off into many other dirt trails. Parts of the trails are deep, soft sand which was slowed my Trooper down considerably. It was my first go in the sand...I didn't even bother reducing the tire pressure. Stil I was able to push through without issue.

We found several trails that contained ramps and pits that were very inviting. No matter what Wharton had to offer, I was able to confidently navigate over, up, down and through. It was a boat load of fun. In fact, the weather is crappy again this weekend so looks like we'll be going today as well. Can't wait.

No damage to report other then a few brush marks on the fender flares. I am trying to convince my bother in law to follow me to the Pine Barrons with his Acrua MDX. I want the pleasure of pulling him out when he gets stuck. Ha ha..!

Last Sunday was even more of a blast. We had a massive rain storm at the beach. Some of the main streets were covered with literally 3 feet of water. Once again, the Trooper proved un-stoppable.

Steve

conman2000 · June 2001

Hey,
Another Tri-Stater! A couple of us on this board are thinking about a tri-state meet very soon. We thought about a run to NJ as they just had a run a few months ago. Want to go again?

Cheers,
Con
01 Trooper LS LongIsland, NY

paisan · June 2001

We definitely need to have another pine-barrens run!

-mike

spirolli · June 2001

Hey Mike & Conman,

I would certainly be interested in a Pine Baron's run. That would be great. We'd have a blast. I didn't know you guys had went before. We can make it like the Annual Jeep Jamborie..

I went to the Pine Barons again yesterday. Had a blast! Found a few more neat trails. The rain storm we got hit with yesterday made it all the better. There was one obstacle I had to back away from. It looked like a nasty 25 yard long deep mud pit. It wasn't so much the mud that would have given the Trooper difficulty, but more getting out. At the end of this mud pool was a broken down tree that I doubt I would have been able to get enough traction to go over. Especially coming out of the pit. It would have been tough.

Now, of course if I would of had another Trooper buddy with me.... I'd be telling a whole different story.!

Anyway, keep me in the loop about when you'd be interested in having another official Trooper run in the Pine Barron's... cause I'm there.

Steve

spirolli · June 2001

Does anyone know where John Warren may have gotten his roof luggage rack.? I think his truck looks great with it installed. http://isuzu-suvs.com/gallery/index.html (John Warren's Trooper)

It still blows my mind that Isuzu doesn't include it as a standard option. Especially since there no way to haul long items. You can't drive with the rear doors open, you can't leave one of the doors open, you can't open the rear door windows... What are they thinking? You should have seen me last year at Christmas time when I had to tie down a 12 foot -Xmas tree to the roof cause there was no other way to haul it back to the house. I thought it was going to crash right through the moon roof.

Of course a guy pulls up with a older Toyota 4 Runner and had the tree dude just throw it right in the back of his truck. He left the rear hatch open and drove away. Same with a guy who drove up in an Explorer. I felt like a goof.

Steve

spirolli · June 2001

Does anyone know where John Warren may have gotten his roof luggage rack.? I think his truck looks great with it installed. http://isuzu-suvs.com/gallery/index.html (John Warren's Trooper)

It still blows my mind that Isuzu doesn't include it as a standard option. Especially since there no way to haul long items. You can't drive with the rear doors open, you can't leave one of the doors open, you can't open the rear door windows... What are they thinking? You should have seen me last year at Christmas time when I had to tie down a 12 foot -Xmas tree to the roof cause there was no other way to haul it back to the house. I thought it was going to crash right through the moon roof.

Of course a guy pulls up with a older Toyota 4 Runner and had the tree dude just throw it right in the back of his truck. He left the rear hatch open and drove away. Same with a guy who drove up in an Explorer. I felt like a goof.

Steve

paisan · June 2001

It's std equipment outside the US. I'm actually working on importing the rack from Australia. I've left one of the rear doors open while driving, not too bad, but not a good solution either.

-mike

gpm5 · June 2001

I used my utility trailer to haul a 9.5 ft christmas tree. Also works for mulch, topsoil, a new dryer, wood, paving stones, and bikes.

conman2000 · June 2001

I think he got his from a aftermarket company. They drill the rack onto the roof. I am not sure of his model but most say you can't have the factory moonroof as the drilling would cause problems for the moonroof. What I have been hearing is that many Isuzu Dealers have aftermarket ones they install(hey they want extra $$ too) so try a couple around you first. If not, Surco makes baskets that use the factory(overseas)holes under the "raingutters" covers on top of the Trooper. Overlander.com sells them.

Here is a picture of it:

Cheers,

Con

paisan · June 2001

Looks like it'll be $200+shipping for the Factory Isuzu roof racks as seen on www.holden.com.au just working out details on it now.

-mike

sbcooke · June 2001

I used my tow strap briefly, not really enough to warrant replacing it, but that raises the question? When should you replace your tow strap? After one serious snatch recovery? Use it over and over again until it frays? It doesn't seem important until you need it, and if it fails, well you are SOL.

duktrooper · June 2001

see my post #473 on aftermarket accessories for all the info on my roof rack. I paid $189, plus $50 for install. Good luck.

sbcooke · June 2001

I know you can offroad in the pine barrens, but are there any NJ seashore locations? I would love to go check out the fishing this time of year and get some offroading in at the same time.

sbcooke · July 2001

Nantucket was $80 for national seashore and $20 for regular sand permits. The ferry is $320 round trip and a roughtly 6 month reservation required.

I am in for a another pine barrens adventure.

radman6 · July 2001

sbcooke, most off roaders use their tow straps many times. Replace it when it's frayed or has big cuts / tears in it. Keep it away from sharp stuff and it should last a long time

If you do break one and you're still stuck, you can tie the ends together and try again.

Make sure you dry out your tow strap at the end of your trip. Rinse any sand or mud off of it and hang it up to dry. I put mine away wet one time and it mildewed badly.

gpm5 · July 2001

Good info on the tow strap. I thought the same.

sbcooke · July 2001

I took my truck to the pine barrens today for some light off-roading. Since it still has under 1000 miles on the engine, I thought a short road trip would be in order. Not too much of any one type of driving, and I got to run through a few sand pits.

I was trying out TOD vs 4 Low in Sand. Both were great. The sand in the pits was deep but not really soft. I stayed clear of any water :-).

re: Tow Straps:
Thanks. I think I will wash and hang-up my strap to dry. This will also give me an opportunity to inspect it.

paisan · July 2001

Sean,
Good to see you back on the horse! Are you gonna make Uwharrie?

-mike

sbcooke · July 2001

I am not going to be able to make any trips until later this summer. Lots of weddings, trips and travel. I might be able to make a Saturday or Sunday here and there, but cannot be away for long enough to do a whole weekend.

And yes, it is good. The truck runs great and I am looking forward to adding shocks and lights in the next week or so. I was expecting delivery today.

sbcooke · July 2001

I am going to vegas for a weekend, I am a little gambled out. I was thinking about renting a trooper and doing some wheeling. Anyone know a rental company who might carry troopers and where to go?

keepontroopin · July 2001

Most Avis rental places have Troopers!

mhiggins2000 · July 2001

Give them a try too.

sbcooke · July 2001

I ran my truck down a rutted gravel road along train tracks last night. The OME shocks were great, the wheels stayed glued to the ground and I didn't get the feeling like the back end was going to pull out. This escapade was fun, more from the adrenaline rush from not getting busted. I sure would like to hear about NC though...

paisan · July 2001

NC totally rocked. The weather was perfect for camping. It rained the day before we got there which kept the dust down the first day. No big mud-holes like we had in the Pine Barrens. Great scenery. 1/2 the fun was the trip down. 3 of us caravanned down and back. I should have a page of links to pics from the weekend. The Planet Isuzoo guys are cool. Met people that we've been chatting with on IDS for about a year now, which was really cool. I was in one guy's truck and we almost rolled it, pretty scary. Another guy skidded down one trail and took out a 7" tree with his arb bumper.

-mike

paisan · July 2001

I'm looking to setup a pine barrens trail ride with the subaru guys again for sept 15 or 16. Sean, you interested in doing some pre-running of the trails with me at some point? I want to go down and map out the trails on the GPS so that we will know what to expect with a group.

-mike

sbcooke · July 2001

I think so. I am booked the weekend of the 8th, but that next weekend should be good. Let's pencil it in.

paisan · July 2001

10pm tonight Chat! Come tell us about your trucks, or if you are a potential owner, we'll be chatting up our trucks. I'll give an overview of Uwharrie!

http://www.edmunds.com/chat/isuzuchat.html

-mike

gpm5 · August 2001

http://www.4x4now.com/4wht.htm

This is a nice site for those who haven't seen it yet.

sbcooke · August 2001

I did a lot of sand driving over the last few weeks. I did some comparison between TOD and 4 lo. I found 4 lo to be the best in the deep/soft sand, and whenever travelling into uncharted areas, I always went in 4 lo. During my testing I noticed that the TOD system was constantly engaging and disengaging, I wondered about the electromagnetic clutch? Could this burn out? How much abuse would it take to burn it out? In 4 lo I experienced some whine from the gearbox, but nothing out of the ordinary. I was able to tackle any sand trail or no trail with the tires at 15 PSI easily. I had the opportunity to pass a RX300 trying to make it up a steep sand slope as he was backing down it. I stopped 1/2 way up took a look, saw he wasn't stuck and went around. The beach sand is a lot different than the Pine Barrens, where regular tire pressure is fine.

I would like to see 4 HI in the trooper however. I think there should be 4 drive settings. 2WD High, TOD, 4WD High and Lo. TOD is great AWD, but in situations where you need all 4 wheels all of the time, you are left with 4 lo. It is sort of overkill.

Overall, with the right technique, the Trooper could easily go anywhere and handle all conditions of off-roading oversand.

sbcooke · August 2001

I was browsing the new Isuzu site and saw (as I have before) that the Trooper can handle a 45 degree angle off-roading. I have had it maybe at about 30 degrees and it doesn't feel too stable. It is good to know you can "go farther", if you need to.

sbcooke · August 2001

http://www.off-road.com/race/2001aussafari/intro/index.html

gpm5 · August 2001

It looks like two Holden Jackaroos came in 1st and 2nd in that offroad race that finished just the other day.

http://www.australiansafari.com.au/default.htm

raydahs · August 2001

http://www.australiansafari.com.au/img/day6/webres/Safari%20Day6-1845.jpg

sbcooke · August 2001

http://www.australiansafari.com.au/img/day6/mediares/Safari-31.jpg

except something tells me he didn't hydro-lock his engine!

gpm5 · August 2001

It looks like those have flared fenders at the wheel wheels on the front, without the molding.

gpm5 · September 2001

I'm wondering what the effect of hard offroading over big rocks is on the trooper. I was away the other week and went up a very rocky and steep mountain (part of the trail was a stream bed) in a chevy pickup 4x4. The person I was with was a little worried about the effects of this rocky trail on the frame of his truck. He used the term, twisting the frame, up such a trail. Since I will be back there with my trooper, I'm wondering, what type of effect can these trails have on the truck? Obviously, parts of the suspension could break, but is this frame twisting thing a possibility?

paisan · September 2001

It is possible if you go barreling through boulders at 30mph. Every time I've off-roaded with experienced off-roaders, we did like 5mph or crawl speed in any situations where the frame could come in contact with rocks and such. I rode over probably 50 boulders down in Uwharrie in July where I scraped the frame/skid-plates, etc against rocks and other items, no damage done to them or the car. I wouldn't worry unless you go speeding over them.

-mike

gpm5 · November 2001

Jakemm made a point in the rodeo section that his rodeo hits the spare and gas tank in deep sand. I've been in moderate sand a couple times in my trooper. Airing down is one thing of course but keeping your speed up, so you don't grind in and sink is another. With the rodeo 4Hi is probably best. With the trooper, TOD vs 4Lo is sometimes a toss-up since you can't always keep speeds much over 30 in 4Lo. Sbcooke also has had alot of exprience in sand.

paisan · November 2001

Hmm i can usually do about 40-50 in 4-lo in my trooper. Why the feeling that 30mph is the limit?

-mike

sbcooke · November 2001

In deep sand the trooper doesn't drag, but does touch the sand every so often, especially the gas tank. The first generation explorers are like a whirling dirvesh, dragging along the beach. The troopers just clear the sand(while driving). While parked it looks like there is a lot more clearance. I am thinking about adding OME springs, for load carrying and ride purposes, but that will also lift the body up an inch or so higher.

With a solid axle, only bigger tires will lift the differential higher from the ground, but body lift could/would help. 4-lo has a lot of gear resistance (i.e. come off the gas and you slow down) over 25-30, I think that is why people (including me) feel more comfortable at that speed.

paisan · November 2001

Tires will lift the body as well as the differential. Tires are the universal lift. But you sacrafice handling and Center of Gravity with them.

-mike

sbcooke · November 2001

In the Rodeo forum, mention was made to adding suspension lift. Springs/body lift will not increase minimum ground clearance, just the height of the body. Taller tires will add increased height to everything.

Over sand, I have found that the differential isn't as much of a problem hitting sand as the gas tank. Going over the undulating surface of the beach, the gas tank often "kisses" the sand; pounding across rough rough terrain at 5 MPH, you see imprints of the tank and center skid plate in the sand. Body lift would improve the overall performance on the beach. Wider and taller tires would obviously help do the same.

gpm5 · November 2001

Yeah, your reved pretty high at speeds above 30 mph, but you can go faster. It seems that I recall the manual saying something about keeping the speed low.

paisan · November 2001

I think at 50ish I'm at like 4500-5500rpms, can't remember now though.

-mike

jakemm · November 2001

The good news is the deep sand at Hatteras will swallow up most any vehicle. There are sections of the beach that are, simply put, treacherous.

I previously had a Jeep Cherokee which was a little less prone to getting high centered on the center mound of the tracks at the beach.

Based on your inputs I'll take a slightly different tack with the Rodeo. Upsize the tires (30x9.50), pull the spare and put in the back, and never let the RPMs drop below 3 grand in 2nd gear in 4W low.

Another interesting thought appears to be to relocate the gas tank to where the 15" spare lives. Anyone seen a kit for doing this?? The gas tank location on the '99 Rodeo appears to be a major hindrance for any sort of serious off-roading. Any one considered / relocated their fuel tank to pick up ground clearance? Basically the Rodeo has great clearance except for the gas tank and spare(15"). One of these is easily fixed, the other one???

Jake

gpm5 · December 2001

The Montero, I believe, is now unibody construction. Not great for hard offroad work--definitely not for rocky terrain. I believe the X-terra is full frame truck. Has anyone seen that offroad likes its been advertised?

paisan · December 2001

Every Thursday, 7:00-8:00pmPT/10:00-11:00pm ET

Your Community Leaders are paisan and arktrooper1

-mike

keepontroopin · February 2002

Paisan do we have to preregister for the Paragon trip or do we just show up?

paisan · February 2002

Good question Troopin. Check out the paragon page and see if there is a pre-reg thing or just show up. I'll add you to the list on my page in case someone from the VX board decides to make reservations.

-mike

mkaye · May 2002

Since this section of the forum was used, so I thought I'd toss in some web sites for off-road trails, for anyone in the southwest part of the US.

Great Western Trail, Arizona section:

http://www.gwt.org/gwt/azgwt.html

Arizona Off-Road:

http://www.az-offroad.com/

Off-Road article:

http://www.findarticles.com/cf_offrd/m1185/n9_v29/17097283/p1/article.jhtml

El Camino Del Diablo:

http://www.bushducks.com/tripreps/camino.htm

Various Trails:

http://www.4x44u.com/pub/k2/am4x44u/trails/locations/trailr2.htm

http://www.4x4now.com/

Isuzu Off Roading/Trail Reports

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